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May 25, 2016

Withering Rose Blog Tour -- Character and Setting Inspiration Boards!

Guess what started this week...?!

The Withering Rose blog tour!! Woot woot!

Kicking off all of my special tour guest posts were some inspiration boards--specifically for my two main characters, Omorose & Cole, and for the two main settings, the freedom fighter base and the fairy tale village!

Let's take a closer look :)

Withering Rose Inspiration Boards!

One of my favorite things to do when working on a new book is to create an inspiration board on Pinterest! First, because I'm obsessed with photography and art, so I love incorporating that passion into my writing process. And second, because it's a great initial way to outline the mood I want throughout the story, the characters I hope to portray, and the settings I'm trying to visualize.

So, of course, Withering Rose got its own inspiration board! Here's a closer look at the two main characters and two main settings!

Omorose

At the beginning of the story, Omorose is living with her father in a military base where the people of earth lead the war against magic. There's only one problem—she has magic! And after ten years of reigning in her power, she's ready to be free, which is why she runs to the realm of the beast seeking refuge.

Since Withering Rose is a retelling of Beauty & The Beast, I definitely used one of my favorite Disney princesses, Belle, as a muse! Like Belle, Omorose yearns for more out of life—adventure, passion, understanding. And her strength comes not from her fists, but from her heart. Yet in my twisted take on the classic, Omorose is the one who is cursed, not the beast!

Cole

In the beginning of the story, Cole is just the unnamed, mysterious King of Beasts—a fellow magic-user who Omorose hopes will offer her safe haven from the soldiers looking to destroy everyone with power. Needless to say, not everything is as it seems. And since I don’t want to give the story away, let's just leave it at that!

Just like the beast in the classic fairy tale, he's supposed to be a lonely, dangerous figure who is shrouded in secrets! So hopefully these inspirational images offer just enough intrigue to make you wanted to discover more!

Freedom Fighter Base

The world of Once Upon A Curse is sort of a crazy blend of a fantasy world and a post-apocalyptic one. Imagine two parallel universes, the world we live in today and a fairy tale world full of magic. Got it? Okay, now imagine them colliding, causing a crazy, intense earthquake that fuses the two worlds together, creating an entirely new patchwork landscape. That’s the world of this series!

In the first book, Gathering Frost, we got to take a closer look at how a huge city like New York fell to complete ruin. But in Withering Rose, the story is out in the open fields and the mountains. The freedom fighter base is still underground and out of sight, controlled by military officials. But the rules are a little more relaxed because the landscape is not nearly as dangerous. And in the beginning of the novel, this freedom fighter base is where Omorose lives.

Fairy Tale Village

The world of Once Upon A Curse is sort of a crazy blend of a fantasy world and a post-apocalyptic one. Imagine two parallel universes, the world we live in today and a fairy tale world full of magic. Got it? Okay, now imagine them colliding, causing a crazy, intense earthquake that fuses the two worlds together, creating an entirely new patchwork landscape. That’s the world of this series!

In the first book, Gathering Frost, our main character Jade lived in the fairy tale world. But in Withering Rose, Omorose runs away from the earthly military base where she lives, hoping that the magical realm of the beasts might be the place she belongs. This fantasy village that's shrouded in magic is nestled high in the mountains, overlooked by a majestic castle and a mysterious king.